Folding machine



Sept. 2, 1952 c. HESS' FOLDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 20, 1947 INVENTOR. CHARLES HESS N m T T A C. HESS FOLDING MACHINE Sept. 2, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed NOV. 2Q, 1947 mm N M\\ S TE a w? r? .T m N S E m s m a? Q C 7 \N\\\ A \HU A n\\\\"\ Q Q 5 a W k M muw ow Q 1 l W- -IIIIlIIIIIIII n O m N 5:. 5 HQ. R N3 ATTORNEYS Sept. 2, 1952 c. HESS 2,608,917

FOLDING MACHINE Filed NOV. 26, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. CHARLES HESS A T TOR/\IE VS Patented Sept. 2, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Charles Hess; Yonkcrs, N. Y., assignor to S & S

Corrugated Paper Machinery C0,, Inc., Brooklyn; N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 20, 1947, Serial No. 787,158

My present invention relates to folding machines particularly. adapted to fold large size corrugated board or solid fibre box blanks about their fold lines so that theedges of the folded panels, meet edge to edge in order that they may be. taped or stitched to form a folded box tube which may later be erected to form a container. Heretofore,v in the construction and operation of folding. machines for heavy box blanks, reliance, has been placed on the utilization of speciiic mechanisms at different positions in the machine to start the fold, pleat the fold and press the folded panels down. This hasv required a multiplicity of mechanical operations, including moving tapes, moving platforms, folding plates, pressure rolls, deflecting plates and associated operating mechanisms, including racks and pinions, eccentric gears, changing sprockets, and various other elements, all of which required individual adjustment in order to change from one. size of box blank to the other and also-required skilled and detailed operation, attention, replacement and repair. I

My invention contemplates the utilization of a pair of deflecting barsv cooperating with folding slats to deflect the side panels upwardly. as the box blank is moved steadily through themachine. The pair of folding bars thus start at or, below the level of the bed of themachine over which the box blank moves and are positioned outside of the folding slats. The folding :bar'sthen, rise toward the forward end. of the machine, at-the same time being inclined toward each otherand thus, toward the central axis of the bed of the machine.

These bars thus cooperating with the folding slatsv raise the panels of the blank to a vertical position. An additional'set of foldingv bars oppositely directed, extending down toward the for ward .end' of the machine. and extending, inwardly toward the'central axis of the machine then bend the panels from the vertical position as the box blank moves over down to aposition where'they meet and are in surface, to surface engagement with'the remainder of the blank.v

By this means, therefore, the only. moving operating, mechanism needed is the mechanism formovi-ngthe blank. through the machine. All of the other elements are stationary and operate by reason of the movement of 'theblank "with respect thereto. I

The folded blank may then be fed further fork ward, either into a taping machine; a stitching machine or any other machine which'willlinterengage the seam at the edges of the'folded blank.

ecla ms. (c1. 93 52)' The primary object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of novel folding mechanism for heavy box blanks made ofcorrugated board, solid fibre board or other appropriate material.

Another object of my invention is the provision of novel folding mechanism for box blanks Wherein all of the folding elements operate. by reason of the movement of the blank with respect thereto and withoutv any independent movement of their-own.

Another object of my invention is the pro.- vision of. novel folding elements. for a folding machine comprising a pair of bars rising up.- wardlytoward the forwardend of the. machine and inwardly directed towardthe central axis of the machine, thepair of; bars startingator below the level of the bed of the machine across which the paper blank moves.

Another objectof my invention in connection with the foregoing upwardly directed folding bars istheprovision of an additional set of downwardly directedfolding bars starting at about the point where thefirst set of folding bars completes the upward fold of the panel and operating to press downthe panels through the remainder of the distance necessary to complete the fold.

1 The foregoingand many other objects of my invention will become apparent in the following description and drawingsin which:

Figure 1 isv a side view of my novel folding machine.

Figure 2 is a top view of my novel folding machine.

Figure 3 is a schematic view in perspective of the operating elements of my novel folding machine.

Referring now to the figures, the main bed or platform H) of my novel folding machine is mounted in any suitable manner on standards I I, I2. Brackets [3. are provided at the feed end of the machine to support the shaft [4 which car'- ries' the sprockets I5. Brackets I! are provided at the delivery or forward end of the machine to support the shaft 18 which carries the sprockets I9;

A pair of sprockets l5 and a similar pair of sprockets H! are; used at opposite ends of the machine, as'shown, in order to support between them afpair of continuous'chains 20 and 21. The chainsjfl and 2i may be driven in any suitable manner as, for instance, by the electric motor 25 mounted on the bracket 26 supported on standard l2 and connected by pulley 21, belt 28 and pulley 29 to drive the shaft I3, thereby in turn driving the sprockets I9 and the chains 20 and 2|.

Preferably, the control starting and stopping of motor 25 should be mounted at the feed or delivery end of the machine and the motor may also be mounted on standard H instead of on standard I2.

The chains 20 and 2I carry across them a plurality of spaced blank feeding slats 30 adapted to engage the bottom blank of a stack and move it out while leaving the remaining blanks in the stack. Adjustable side gauges 33 and 34 and adjustable front gauges 35 and 36 define the stack of blanks 31. supported at their lower edges on the main bed Side gauges 33 and 34 are I0 of the machine but are held in vertical posibrackets 38 and 39 and rotatable to bear frictionally against the bar 40;

The front gauges 35 and 36 are so arranged that they just clear the top surface of the bed I0 of the machine by a gap 41 slightly more than the thickness of a single blank. Front gauges 35 and 36 are also upported on brackets 50 and 5I carried by the cross bar'40-and adjustably positionable by being slidable along the bar, the adjustment being retained by the set screws 52, 53. The front gauges-35 and 36, also carry secured thereto in any suitable manner the folding slats 55 and 56.

The flanges 51 and 58 thereof, respectively, are secured to the gauges 35 and 36. The outer edges 56a and 55a of the folding slats areadjusted so that they are aligned with the fold or'score lines 60, 6| of the blanks 31 which are to be folded.

The bed I0 of the machine is provided with the longitudinal cut-outs I0 and -'II to permit the means for attaching the slats to'the chains to project upwardly to engage the slats 30 which move on the upper surface of the bed I0.

Openings I2 and 13 are provided at the end of the travel of chains 20 and l2l to permit the slats to move down from the bed of the machine and up to the bed of the machine oncemore. The folding bars 80 and 8I are secured, respectively, at their feed ends at 83 and 82 preferably in openings in the bed I0 of the machine so that the feed ends of the folding bars 80 and BI start below the level of the folding slats 55 and 56 and so that any blank which passes thereover will necessarily ride up on to the folding bars 80 and'SI.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3, the folding bars 80 and 8| rise slowly toward the forward end of the machine and as shown in Figures 2 and 3 the folding bars 80 and 6| are inwardly directed toward the central longitudinal axis of the bed I0 of the machine toward the delivery or forward end of the machine. The folding bars 80 and SI meet at their forward or deliveryend at 84 where they are interconnected for purposes of rigidity; the meeting ends 64 being upwardly bent at 85 so as .to ensure that the, meeting ends will clear the highest. flap which may be folded by the machine.

The bars 60 and 8I act tomove the side flaps 31a and 31b defined by fold lines 60 and M of the blank 3'! from the flat or horizontal position shown at the bottom of the stack in Figures 1 and 2 through the position marked A in Figure 3 where the panels 31a and 311) are first deflected up to the position marked B in Figure 3 where the panels 31a and 3712 are substantially vertical.

The panels 31a and 311) then move between the outwardly projecting ends I00, 'IOI of the fold down bars I02, I03. The ends I00 and IN of the fold down bars I02, I03 project outwardly to a position beyond the bars 80 and 8| at the points I04 and I05 where they connect.

The bars I02 and I03 are inwardly directed toward the forward or delivery end of the machine while, atthe same time, they are downwardly directed and terminate in the hold down slat I06.

As the blank moves from position B of Figure 3 through to the folded position C, the vertical panels 31a and 31b at position B move between the ends I00 and I M of the fold down bars I02 and I03 and are then folded down about the edges a and 56a of the folding slats 55 and 56 until they are rotatedinto surface to surface engagement with the main body of the blank when the blank is now folded as shown at C of Figure 3.

The bars I02 and 80 may be interconnected at I04, with, of course, the bar I02 outside of the bar 80. Similarly, the bars I03 and BI may be interconnected at I05 with again the bar I03 outside the bar 8 I. a

Further and in order additionally toirigidify the folding structure, supporting brackets I I0 and III may be connected to the interconnected points I04 and I05 of the folding bars, the'said supporting brackets H0 and III being anchored, respectively, at H2, H3 at the outer sides of, the bed of the machine.

The hold down slat I06 may be adjustably positionedin accordance withthe thickness of the blank to be folded and the degree of pressure desired on the finished folded blank by the set screw I20 passing through the threaded opening in the cross bar I2I supported by brackets I22, I22 across the machine. The screw I20 as seen in Figure 1 bears on the upper surface, ofslat I06 so that the adjustment thereof determines the maximum clearance between the bed of the machine and slat I06.

In operation, the slats 30' successively engage and feed out the bottom blank 31 in the stack of blanks, the remainder of the blanks being held back by the gauges 35 and 36, the blank to be fed ,out passing through the gap 47. The fold lines and 6| of theblank which is fed out are just outside the edges 55a and 56a of the folding slats 55 and 56. The panels 31a and 37b move up on the folding bars and are deflected upwardly thereby by the cooperation of the folding bars 80 and 8I with the folding slats 55 and 56 in conjunction with the forward movement of the box blank.

When the box blank panels havebeen folded to vertical position,thenlth folding bars I03 and I04 receive the vertical panels in order'to complete the foldrotating them down intosurface to surface engagement with the box blank. The hold down slat I06 then retains the blank in the folded position until it is fed out of the folding machine to a taper, stitcher, or other suitable machinefor interconnecting the meeting edgesofthefolded panels. When desired, additional bracing elements as,

'mcospi'r adjustment of the folding bars 80 and. 8| or of the folding bars I03 and 154 is required since it is'onl y necessary that 'these bars are engaged I by a portion of panels 31a and 31b of theiblank, and it is not material whether these bars engage initially the outer portion of panels 31a and 31b remote from the fold lines or a portion of panels 31a and 31b closer to the fold lines as long as the portion of the blank on each side outside the fold lines 60 and 6! are first engaged or pass over and on to the folding bars 80 and BI.

The only adjustment needed is the adjustment of front gauges 35 and 36 and the folding slats 55 and 56 which move therewith in order to cause the edges 55a and 56a of the folding slats 55 and 56 to coincide with the fold lines 60 and SI of the blank to be folded.

The outer limit of blank size which may be folded by the machine is one in which the folding edges 56a and 55a of the folding slats 56 and 55 are moved close tothe folding bars 80 and 8| without, however, touching the same. The smallest blank which may be folded is one in which when the folding slats B and 55 are brought together, the width of the panels 31a and 31b is less than the initial distance between either of the folding edges 56a or 55a and the associated folding bar 89 or 8| at the point where the associated folding bar 80 or BI is at the level of the folding edge.

Consequently, a great range of blank sizes may be folded without requiring any adjustment of the folding mechanism, the only adjustment required being the movement of the folding slats 55 and 55 carried by the front gauges 35 and 3G to a position where the edges of the folding slats coincide with the fold lines 60 and 6 I By the means herein shown, therefore, I have shown a simplified box blank folding mechanism utilizing no moving parts other than the movement of the blank through the machine in order to produce the folding operation and having no elements which may become out of order by reason of constant use. The machine is readily adjustable by a single adjustment tofold blanks of different sizes having different spacings between their fold lines 66 and GI and requires no other attention.

In the foregoing, I have described my invention solely in connection with specific illustrative embodiments thereof. Since many variations and modifications of my invention will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, I prefer to be bound not by the specific disclosures herein contained but only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A folding machine for folding flat box blanks having predetermined fold lines into tubular form, the said box blanks each having a pair of outer panels defined by fold lines, which panels when folded over toward each other against the blank body will meet at their edges to form a seam; said machine comprising a horizontal platform, means for moving a box blank longitudinally along said horizontal platform; a pair of flat folding bars extending longitudinally along said horizontal platform; the outer edges of said folding bars being each positionable along the path of travel of a fold line in the box blank defining an outer panel; the box blank moving beneath said folding bars and the panels to be folded projecting beyond said folding bars; folding apparatus including a stationary inclined bar 10- 6 cated on each side of said-platform and extend.- ing longitudinally of theplatform; each inclined bar extending beneath thepath of travel of the box blank panel and outside of the'foldin'g bar on its side at the end of the inclined bar over which the box blank first moves; each inclined bar extending atan acute angle to the platform to a point elevated above the platform in the direction of movement of, the box blank; said inclined bars being integrally. joined. :to :each other at said elevated point, said inclined bars and said folding bars cooperating with the means for moving the box blank to fold the outer panels upwardly as the box blank moves along the platform, said folding apparatus also including additional stationary inclined bars extending longitudinally of said platform extending at an opposite angle to said platform from the first-mentioned inclined bars and positioned to engage the outer surfaces of the upwardly folded panels and press them down toward each other and the main body of the blank as the blank moves along the platform; said additional stationary bars converging toward the longitudinal axis of the platform as they descend and terminating in an elongated pressure plate disposed to maintain the pressed down panels in flat position, including a pressure screw disposed to bear on said pressure plate and to be manually adjusted to vary the pressure thereon.

2. A folding machine for folding fiat box blanks having predetermined fold lines into tubular form, the said box blanks each having a pair of outer panels defined by fold lines, which panels when folded over toward each other against the blank body will meet at their edges to form a seam; said machine comprising a horizontal platform, means for moving a box blank longitudinally along said horizontal platform; a pair of flat folding bars extending longitudinally along said horizontal platform; the outer edges of Said folding bars being each positionable along the path of travel of a fold line in the box blank defining an outer panel; the box blank moving beneath said folding bars and the panels to be folded projecting beyond said folding bars; folding apparatus including a stationary inclined bar located on each side of said platform and extending longitudinally of the platform; each inclined bar extending beneath the path of travel of the box blank panel and outside of the folding bar on its side at the end of the inclined bar over which the box-blank first moves; each inclined bar extending at an acute angle to theplatform to a point elevated above the platform in the direction of movement of the box blank; said inclined bars being integrally joined to each other at said elevated point, said inclined bars converging toward the longitudinal axis of the platform as they rise therefrom; said inclined bars and said folding bars cooperating with the means for moving the box blank to fold the outer panels upwardly as the box blank moves along the platform; said folding apparatus also including additional stationary inclined bars extending longitudinally of said platform extending at an opposite angle to said platform from the firstmentioned inclined bars and positioned to engage the outer surfaces of the upwardly folded panels and press them down toward each other and the main body of the blank as the blank moves along the platform; said additional stationary bars converging toward the longitudinal axis of the platform as they descend and terminating in an elongated pressure plate disposed to maintain the pressed down panels in flat position, including a pressure screw disposed to bear on said pressure plate and to be manually adjusted to vary the pressure thereon.

CHARLES HESS.

REFERENCES CITED Number 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Lederer Feb. 22, 1898 Reuling Nov. 18, 1902 Wright Aug. 1, 1905 Roberts et a1. Jan. 8, 1935 

